An Unforgettable Experience
by Kristen3
Summary: When David suddenly decides he wants to go camping, Niles braves a night in the outdoors just to bond with his son. Post-series. Sequel/companion to "Reaching New Heights."
1. Chapter 1

Daphne had never seen David so excited about anything. For the past two days, he'd talked about almost nothing except how he wanted to spend the night "in the real outdoors." A classmate had gone camping with his Boy Scout troop, and had told David all about it.

The weekend was coming, and Niles had decided to surprise his son. For the most part, David was a good kid who didn't really ask for much. And Niles wanted so badly to connect with his son after his disastrous attempt to climb a rock wall. So he'd gone out and bought a small tent. But that still meant they would need to find a place to camp out, as the Montana did not have a yard. Niles didn't want to tell his son about the surprise until he was certain they could do it. But David was a smart boy, and he saw the tent hidden in a closet.

"We're really going to go camping?!"

Niles sighed, wishing his son hadn't found out. "Well, I'd love to do it, but-"

Before his father could finish the sentence, David interrupted. "Can Grandpa come, too?"

The question left Niles speechless, but he knew he really should have seen it coming. David was very close to Martin.

Daphne saw that her husband was struggling. "Darling, maybe your father would at least know where to go." But she turned to David, not wanting to get her son's hopes up. "Your grandfather might not want to come, but I'm sure he'd know where you could camp." Martin and Ronee lived in an apartment building not far from the Montana, so they also didn't have a yard.

"Can we ask him, Dad?"

Niles let out a sigh. "All right."

David began to jump up and down, saying "Yes!" repeatedly. Niles loved the sight. He was glad his son had inherited Daphne's enthusiasm.

Daphne turned to Niles. "I'll give your father a call." Niles nodded at her. She picked up the phone. "Martin? I'm calling because David has something he'd like to ask you."

David stopped his celebratory dancing to take the phone when his mother held it out to him. "Hi, Grandpa. Dad bought a tent so we can go camping, but we don't know where we can do it. And I think you should come, too. It'll be so cool, being out there. Just like a real adventure!"

Martin smiled. He always loved hearing from David. He knew he'd missed out on so many experiences with Freddie, but he decided he would not let that happen again. He was grateful that David liked to do things besides read and listen to opera the way Niles and Frasier did. He was happy to encourage David's love for sports and the outdoors, but the reality was that he was getting older. It was getting harder to keep up with David. Martin knew he should help find a place where Niles and David could spend the night, but politely decline the offer to join them. But he knew how much David wanted to do this. "That does sound like fun! And I know where we could do it. A buddy of mine has a huge backyard, and he says his grandkids camp there sometimes."

"Awesome! This is going to be the best weekend ever."

David hung up the phone after talking to Martin a few more minutes about how much he was looking forward to the weekend. He handed the phone back to his mother. "Are you going to come with us, too, Mom?"

Daphne put her hand on her stomach as she shook her head. "I don't think this little one will like sleeping on the ground." Her baby was due in just a couple more months.

"Aw, OK. Guess it'll just be us guys then, right, Dad?"

Niles nodded hesitantly. He would much rather stay indoors and read a book to his son as a bonding experience. But this was what David had his heart set on, so he would make the best of it.


	2. Chapter 2

Unfortunately for Niles, the weekend came quickly for once. It seemed as if he'd blinked, and suddenly Daphne had dropped the two of them off at the home of Martin's friend. "Goodbye, my love," Niles said as David raced to get into the small tent.

Daphne kissed him. "I'm sure it won't be that bad. It's just for one night."

Niles nodded. "But I hate thought of being away from you at all, in this condition." He placed a hand on her stomach.

"I think we can do without your for a night," Daphne laughed. "Just keep an eye on David, all right? And your father, too, because I know he'll try to push himself to please David."

"All right, my love. But I'll miss waking up to your sweet face in the morning."

Daphne melted at that and kissed him once again. She walked over to the tent to say goodbye to her son.

"Bye, Mom!" Unlike his father, David seemed to have no problem with being away from her.

Daphne kissed the top of his head. "Have fun. I love you."

"Love you, too." He hugged her quickly. "Come on, Dad, get in the tent!" He called to his father over Daphne's shoulder.

Daphne couldn't help laughing as she walked back toward her car. On her way, she met Ronee and Martin. "If you don't want to do this, you don't have to, Marty. David's a big boy. He'll understand."

Martin shook his head. "No, Ronee. I want to do this. I always wanted to do it with Frase and Niles when they were kids, but they wouldn't go for it. And I'm _not_ going to miss my chance to do this with David!" He picked up his pace a bit, wanting to end the discussion.

Ronee looked at Daphne, rolling her eyes in defeat.

Daphne laughed. "Don't worry. I told Niles to make sure he doesn't push himself for David's sake. I'm sure he'll be fine."

Ronee seemed relieved. "Well, at least I can watch something on TV tonight other than ESPN for once!"

Daphne nodded, remembering all too well how Martin liked to watch sports every chance he got. She headed home, grateful for the quiet. She was able to get a lot of housework done since there were no distractions. When she went to bed, it felt good to not think about all the things she didn't get done.

Still, as she drifted off to sleep, Daphne couldn't help noticing the empty space on the other side of the bed. She hadn't expected to miss Niles this much. She prayed that Niles was at least enjoying the chance to spend time with his son.

The next morning, Daphne awoke to sunlight coming in the windows. Despite Seattle's typically rainy weather, the sky was blue, and there wasn't a single cloud. She looked at the clock on her nightstand and saw that it was still very early. She wondered if Niles was up yet. Suddenly, she got an idea.

Half an hour later, Daphne arrived at Nervosa. She was practically their first customer of the day. She placed a quick to-go order. She smiled to herself as she got back into her car.

Minutes later, Daphne arrived at the campsite. The tent was still sealed shut, indicating that no one was up yet. Cautiously she walked toward it. She slowly lifted the zipper. The sound woke David and Niles immediately.

"Daphne." Niles couldn't help smiling at the sight of her.

She returned the smile as she held out the package she'd picked up. Inside was a cup containing one of Nervosa's famous lattes, complete with the "whisper of cinnamon" that he always requested. And for David, she'd gotten him a chocolate doughnut, his favorite.

Niles sipped the drink, feeling the warmth of it at once. It made him forget about how hard it was to sleep out here. The hard ground had been nothing like his bed at home. But the smile he'd seen on his son's face had made the whole experience worth it.

"Oh, cool, a doughnut!" David exclaimed. "Mom, you're the best!"

"What's going on?" Martin groaned.

"Are you OK, Grandpa?" David asked, eying him nervously.

Somehow, Martin managed to pull himself to a sitting position. Daphne could tell it wasn't easy for him. She knew he'd done much more last night than he should have. She reached into the container from Nervosa, handing her father-in-law the cup of black coffee she'd picked up for him. For a moment, Daphne watched the two men enjoying their breakfast in silence. When they had finished their coffees, and David had eaten the his doughnut, Daphne turned to her son. "So, are you ready to go go home now?"

David thought for a moment. Being out here had been fun. His grandfather had told stories of nights he'd spent on stakeouts, and his father had taught him all about the stars in the night sky. But David knew his dad didn't really like this outdoor stuff. And besides, there was only so much he could do out here. He couldn't play his computer games, or talk to his friends on the phone. "Yeah. I'm ready."

"Good," Daphne said. "Because I missed my two favorite guys last night!"

Niles looked at her, touched by her words. He realized then that it might have been lonely for her, sleeping in their bed all by herself. He reached out to caress her cheek before kissing her.

Daphne gave into the kiss. She could taste the latte on his lips as they held on for a long moment. There was no denying that he had gone far outside his comfort zone, just so that his son would be able to have an unforgettable experience. She felt a rush of love for him. When she drew back from the kiss, she looked deep into his eyes. All at once, she realized something. Her husband might never be a great outdoors man. But she loved him with all her heart, and she could never get tired of letting him know that.

**The End**


End file.
